Device for cutting hair



Feb. 26, 1957 H. GREY DEVICE FOR CUTTING HAIR Filed Aug. 28, 1953 IN VEN TOR.

DEVICE FOR CUTTING HAIR Hariow Grey, Howell, Mich. Application August28, 1953, Serial No. 377544 Qlaims. (Cl. 30-31) This invention relatesto a device for cutting and trimming hair and has for a principal objectthe provision of an improved simple and economically constructed deviceof the foregoing character which is particularly adapted to enable aperson to cut his own hair without difiiculty and with a minimum ofskill or training.

Another object is to provide such a device which is readily adaptablefor use with the Gillette type double edge safety razor blade and whichin fact is feasibly fabricated in part at least from components of theconventional holder for such blades.

A number of hair cutters and trimmers employing the Gillette type safetyrazor blade are known to the art which are satisfactory for shaving andtrimming, but for one reason or another have not been entirelysatisfactory for cutting hair. I have now found that by supporting theblades in the customary manner between inner and outer clamping membersadapted to bow the blade to a shape having an inner concave surface andan outer convex surface, and by providing a toothed guard portionintegral with the outer clamping member having a row of teeth extendingangularly outward from the blade at a location adjacent a cutting edgethereof, a superior efiicient cutting action is achieved which readilyenables the user to control the depth of the cut and to feather edge hishair toward the neck line simply by varying the angle at which thetoothed guard is held as it glides along the contour of the head.

Another object is to provide such a device having a pair of toothedguards adjacent and outward of the opposite cutting edges of the bowedblade respectively. One guard comprises a comparatively fine serrateedge of the inner concave surface of the outer clamping member adaptedto extend sligh 1y beyond the adjacent cutting edge of the blade tofaciiitate close cutting. The other guard comprises a row ofcomparatively coarse teeth having their inner surfaces extendingangularly outward from the blade near the other cutting edge andappreciably beyond the same to permit a coarse cut adjust-able asaforesaid by suitably determining the angle at which the teeth of thelatter guard meet the head, the inner surfaces of the coarse teeth orguard extending in a plane which passes immediately across the tips ofthe teeth of the fine serrate edge or guard.

Still another object is to provide a hair trimming and cutting device ofthe foregoing character having blade locating portions on the clampingmembers adapted to interfit wit .in a median slot in the blade parallelto the latters cutting edges, thereby to locate the blade positivelywith respect to said members when clamped therebetween. The centerlineof the locating portions are offset toward the coarse guard so that theblade before being bowed is adapted to be supported on the tips of thefine serrate edge and on the inner surfaces of the teeth of the coarseguard in the piane thereof with the blade slot aligned directly over thelocating portions on the outer clamping member.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the fol- 2.78am MPatented Feb. 26, 1957 lowing description and appended claims, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification wherein like reference characters designate correspondingparts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a perspective assembled view from the underside of a hairtrimming and cutting device embodying the present invention.

5 2 is an exploded view showing the undersides of the blade and theinner and outer clamping members.

Fig. 3 is a transverse midsection taken in the direction of the arrowssubstantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing only the outer clampingmember and the unflexed blade supported thereon.

Fig. 5 is a perspective assembled View of a modified form of the presentinvention.

Fig. 6 is an exploded view showing the undersides of the inner and outerclamping members and intermediate guard member employed in theembodiment of Fig. 5.

it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in itsapplication to the details of construction and arrangement of partsillustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capableof other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in variousways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminologyemployed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring in more particularity to Figs. 1 through 4, a particularembodiment of the present invention is shown comprising inner and outerclamping members 10 and 11 respectively adapted to clamp therebetween aflexible double-edged safety razor blade 12, as for example of theGillette type, having oppositely directed parallel cutting edges. Theinner surface of the outer clamping member 31 is cylindrically concaveand the outer surface of the inner member in is cyiindrically convex soas to seat withi the concavity of the outer member 11 and bow or flexthe blade 12 to the cylindrical shape shown, Fig. 3.

The blade 12 is provided with the customary median slot 13 adapted tofit over an intermediate screw threaded stud id and a pair of laterallyspaced locating studs or portions 15 integral with the outer member 11and projecting inward from the concave surface thereof. Likewise thestuds f4 and 15 extend through mating opening 16 and 17 respectively inthe inner member 10, so that when the members it 3.1 and blade 12 areassembled and interfitted, these members are maintained in properrelative position with respect to each other. The assembled members aresecurely clamped together by means of an inward projecting handle shaftiii detachably screwed on stud 14- tightly against member it Figs. 1 and3.

In accordance with the present invention, the outer member is providedwith two parallel rows of teeth 19 and 29 respectively adjacent andparallel to the opposite cutting edges of the blade .52. The teeth 19comprise a serrate edge of the concave inner surface of the member iiand provide a fine guard projecting tangentially of the blade adjacentone cutting edge thereof and slightly beyond the latter for use in closetrimming or cutting. The teeth 2% are ionger and more widely spaced thanthe teeth 19 and comprise a coarse guard extending angularly outwardfrom the outer convex surface of the bowed blade 12, Fig. 3. The innersurfaces of the teeth 20 lie in a plane perpendicular to the axis of thestud 14 and passing adjacent the tips of the teeth 19.

By virtue of the foregoing structure, the unflexed blade 12 can belocated on the stud 14 with the cutting edges extending beyond the tipsof the teeth 19 and the bases of the teeth 20. From this position, Fig.4, the blade 12 can be bowed to the condition shown in Fig. 3 withoutdanger of chipping or dulling its sharp cutting edges by engagement withthe body of the member 11 during the operation of clamping the member 10within the concavity of the member 11. In the above regard, the studs 14and 15 are offset toward the teeth 20 from the median line of theconcave inner surface of the member 11 between the bases of the teeth 20and tips of the teeth 19. Also by the construction shown, one cuttingedge of the bowed blade 12 extends inward from the teeth 20 and isspaced therefrom to achieve a superior cutting action and to engage thehair substantially at right angles during the cutting operation.

In order to facilitate hair cutting, the tips of the teeth 20 curveinward at 21 to provide glider portions adapted to ride along the headof hair being cut. Thus in operation of the assembled device, the handle18 is gripped in the manner of an ordinary safety razor with the member11 uppermost. The device then is moved downward in a cutting action withthe tips of the teeth 19 or 20 riding along the contour of the head. Bysuitably tilting the handle 18 with respect to the head, the angle atwhich the blade 12 meets the hair and correspondingly the depth of theout are readily varied as desired.

The radii of curvatures of the inner surface of member 11 and the outersurface of member 10 can be varied appreciably, depending to a largeextent upon the length of the chord subtending their parallel edges. Theouter convex surface of one particularly desirable clamping member 10subtends an arc of approximately 72 and has a radius of curvature ofapproximately As', the length measured lengthwise of the cutting edge ofthe blade 12 being approximately 1%". The radius of curvature of theinner concave surface of the member 11 is substantially the same orslightly less than the radius of the outer convex surface of the member10, so as to effect a positive clamping action on the blade 12 betweenthe two curved surfaces.

In the present instance a clamping member 11 having approximately thelength of the member is provided with fourteen small teeth 19terminating in a straight row along one edge of the concave innersurface. The teeth 19 are spaced slightly more than 5 and areapproximately & long, their outer surfaces being rounded so as to glidesmoothly along the surface of the hair being cut. Nine teeth 20 areshown spaced approximately and terminating in a straight line parallelto the adjacent cutting edge of the blade 12, each tooth 20 beingapproximately long.

When the blade 12 is bowed by assembly between the members 10 and 11,one cutting edge lies on a line approximately halfway between the tipsand bases of the teeth 19 and beyond the adjacent parallel edge of themember 10. The other cutting edge of the blade 12 projects beyond theadjacent parallel edge of the member 10 and the bases of the teeth 20approximately to /2 the length of the latter teeth.

A modification of the present invention adapted for use with theconventional Gillette type safety razor with a minimum of alteration ofthe holder is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. Inner and outer clampingmembers 25 and 26 are provided with outer convex and inner concavecylindrical surfaces respectively comparable to the correspondingsurfaces of the members 10 and 11, except that the member 26 is nottoothed and has parallel edges along opposite ends of the arc ofcurvature, similar to the member 25. An adaptor or guard member 27 hasan outer convex surface adapted to seat within the concavity of themember 26 and an inner concave surface adapted to receive the convexouter surface of the member 25 seated therein. The member 27 is providedwith a row of fine teeth 28 and a parallel row of coarse teeth 29comparable in all respects to the rows of teeth 19 and 20 respectivelyand extending circumferentially beyond the adjacent edges of the members25 and 26 when these members are assembled as indicated in Fig. 5. Theinner surfaces of the teeth 28 are part of the concave inner surface ofthe member 27, whereas the inner sur- 4 faces of the teeth 29 extendoutward from the latter concave inner surface in a plane which passesadjacent the tips of the teeth 28. The tips of the teeth 29 curveinwardat 30 in the manner of the tips 21.

The blade 12 is bowed into the concavity of the member 27 by the outerconvex surface of the member 25 when these members are assembled andclamped together. Extending inward from the outer member 26 in themanner of the stud 14 is a threaded stud 31 which projects through anopening 32 in the member 27, the slot opening 13 in the blade 12, and anopening 33 in the member 25, whereby these members are positivelyclamped together by means of the handle 18 screwed onto the projectinginner end of the stud 31. Similarly to the locating projections 15,projections 34 extend inwardly from the member 26 through openings 35and 36 in the members 27 and 25 respectively, as well as through theslot 13, so as to align these members with respect to each other whenassembled. In Figs. 5 and 6, offset corner locators 37 extending inwardfrom the member 26 register with corner recesses 33 in the member 27 andoffset corner portions 39 in the member 25 to assure that the cuttingedges of the blade 12 will remain in proper position adjacent andparallel to the corresponding rows of teeth 28 and 29.

I claim:

1. In a hair cutting device adapted to be used with a flexible doubleedged safety razor blade, separable inner and outer blade clampingmembers having interfitting convex and concave blade engaging surfacesrespectively adapted to receive said blade therebetween, means forclamping said members together to flex and clamp said blade between saidsurfaces, the outer member having a row of teeth adjacent one cuttingedge of said blade and projecting beyond the same when the blade isflexed and clamped between said members, the concave surface of theouter member adjacent said one cutting edge terminating short of saidedge along a line parallel thereto and the teeth of said row adjacentsaid edge extending angularly outward from said concave surface at alocation adjacent said line.

2. In a hair cutting device adapted to be used with a flexible safetyrazor blade, separable inner and outer blade clamping members havinginterfitting convex and concave blade engaging surfaces respectivelyadapted to receive said blade therebetween, means for clamping saidmembers together to fiex and clamp said blade between said surfaces, anda row of teeth extending outward from the outer member at an angle tothe concave surface thereof, said concave surface terminating adjacentthe bases of said row of teeth.

3. In a hair cutting device adapted to be used with a flexible doubleedged safety razor blade, separable inner and outer blade clampingmembers having interfitting convex and concave blade engaging surfacesrespectively adapted to receive said blade therebetween, means forclamping said members together to flex and clamp said blade between saidsurfaces, the outer member terminating at one edge along one of a pairof parallel straight lines, and a row of teeth extending outward fromsaid outer member at another edge thereof along the other of said linesand substantially in parallelism with the plane through said lines.

4. In a hair cutting device adapted to be used with a flexible doubleedged safety razor blade, separable inner and outer blade clampingmembers having interfitting convex and concave blade engaging surfacesrespectively adapted to receive said blade therebetween, means forclamping said members together to flex and clamp aid blade between saidsurfaces, interlocking portions on said members for positioning the samein predetermined relationship with respect to each other when clampedtogether, the outer member terminating at one edge along one of a pairof parallel straight lines, and a row of teeth extending outward fromsaid outer member at another edge thereof along the other of said linesand substantially in parallelism with the plane through said lines, saidinterlocking portions being located along a line parallel andintermediate said first named parallel lines and offset toward said rowof teeth from the midplane between said first named parallel lines andperpendicular to said first named plane.

5. In a device for cutting and trimming hair, a flexible safety razorblade, separable inner and outer blade clamping members havinginterfitting convex and concave blade engaging surfaces respectivelyadapted to receive said blade therebetween, means for clamping saidmembers together to flex and clamp said blade between said surfaces, theouter member terminating in a row of teeth extending outward from saidconcave surface at an angle thereto, said concave surface terminatingadjacent the bases of said row of teeth, and a cutting edge of saidblade extending beyond said bases substantially parallel to the tangentto said concave surface at said bases.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,450,859 Kulhawy Apr. 3, 1923 1,568,794 Baer Jan. 5, 1926 1,683,980Kwartin Sept. 11, 1928 2,237,676 Lewis Apr. 8, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS3,326 Australia Aug. 3, 1932 29,888 Denmark July 10, 1922 75,733 SwedenNov. 1, 1932 853,113 Germany Oct. 23, 1952 903,014 France Jan. 5, 1945

